March 27, 2017

Meet Felicia Mitchell of Food By Felicia in Lawrenceville

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicia Mitchell.

Felicia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Before diving head first into the Food Industry, I held a wonderful career in the Tile Industry. During my 18-year journey, I learned so many invaluable lessons about business development and will forever be grateful for every experience. When the 2008 recession hit the company that I worked for closed their doors for good. I had no choice but to figure out what the next move professionally would be.

I’ve always loved cooking, creating and entertaining. As a child, I can remember playing “Diner” whenever I would babysit for my little cousins. I would take their order and their choices would be grilled cheese or grilled cheese LOL, but I loved being in the kitchen. I used to watch my mother and grandmothers create the most delicious meals and always wondered if I could ever cook as awesome as they did.

After truly soul searching and doing a lot of praying, I decided to push forward and attend Le Cordon Bleu of Culinary Arts to pursue my culinary degree. I loved it so much that I decided to return to school for my Bachelors of Science degree in Culinary Management.

The big test for me was being able to work and train at one of the largest restaurants at Disney World in Florida. Wow what an experience!! It was upon my return that I knew that I had to pursue my own business. In the summer of 2015 living paycheck to paycheck, nervous and scared, I decided to step out on faith and leap towards my dream.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It most definitely has not been a smooth road. Starting a new business comes with a tremendous amount of challenges. I welcome the challenges because they are all learning experiences. Being able to succeed through the twists and turns is truly a rewarding feeling. Our company has blossomed at a fast pace. Therefore, we are often challenged with the pains of growing a lot quicker than we expected. Trying to find a new location, capital to help us take things to the next level, working days without sleep, researching, planning, training, creating and trying to have somewhat of a work life balance has been a challenge. All the sacrifices have been worth it. When I look back and see just how far we’ve come all I can do is smile and thank God for his blessings.

Food By Felicia – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Food by Felicia is a catering company that believes in creating momentous, extraordinary experiences for all of our clients. We specialize in International Cuisine with a Southern flair. We create deeply flavorful and satisfying dishes that people come back for time and time again. Our tagline is “It’s not just sexy…it’s delicious” and we stand by that. The passion that we have for food and the love that we have for people truly shines through in everything that we do.

I am so proud to be a part of such an amazing industry that has endless opportunity. As a company, we are truly proud to bring smiles and happiness to all our clients. We are proud to have a transparent business that is organically growing based off word of mouth. Professional, Top Notch, Sophisticated, Classy, and Creative are all words that our clients have used describe us.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I catered a grand opening celebration for my peers in the tile industry. Everyone was really impressed and expressed that they were truly convinced that I made the right move by starting my own business. That evening I had the opportunity to stop and look around for a moment. My peers were having an amazing experience and I saw my family and team members working just as hard as I was to ensure that the event went on without a hitch. I felt immensely blessed. Being able to help people, whether it’s mentoring or giving someone the opportunity to work is truly a blessing and feels fantastic.

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